Labour Party’s Governorship Running Mate Insists Party Would Have Won Edo State Election if It Was Free and Fair
Yusuf Asamah Kadiri, the Labour Party’s (LP) governorship running mate in Edo State, has insisted that the party would have emerged victorious in the just-concluded governorship election if it was free and fair. Kadiri made the assertion while featuring on Arise TV’s Morning Show, claiming that vote-buying derailed the party’s candidate, Olumide Apata, from emerging victorious.
According to Kadiri, the LP’s campaign strategy focused on engaging with local communities, which allowed them to understand their needs and concerns. “We are the only ones that campaigned all across the local government so we felt their pains. We went to the remotest village and they expressed their pains,” Kadiri said.
However, Kadiri believes that vote-buying and other forms of electoral malpractice disrupted the party’s chances of winning. “What turned out on election day was money playing around, many said they wanted to vote for the Labour Party but changed. There was a path to winning but money raided that path,” he lamented.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the election, with 291,667 votes. Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came second with 247,274 votes, while LP’s Olumide Apata trailed behind with 22,763 votes.
Kadiri hinted that the LP is still deliberating on whether to pursue legal action against the results. “We are still consulting internally on whether we should go to court or not,” he said. Despite the outcome, Kadiri remains optimistic about the party’s chances in future elections.
